


We're Slytherin

by PseudoPomeranian



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A favorite what if, BAMF Harry Potter, BAMF Ron Weasley, Gen, No Bashing, One shot?, POV Ron Weasley, Platonic Harry and Ron, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, They're good for each other, maybe not, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24135646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PseudoPomeranian/pseuds/PseudoPomeranian
Summary: Ron strode up to the stool with a grim determination on his face. He glanced at Haley, sitting alone with the rest of Slytherin leering and grinning because they got Potter. No one thought much of him as he sat on the stool; another Weasley, another Gryffindor.But the Hat took a minute. It asked him if he was sure, if he wanted to do this.Ron said yes, he knew exactly what he was doing.
Relationships: Ron Weasley & Harry Potter, weasley family - Relationship
Comments: 16
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's another AU! A Slytherin AU that I love and will cling to.

Ron Weasley watched as Haley grew pale on the stool, the Sorting Hat taking its time with choosing her house. 

“SLYTHERIN!” It shouted.

The Hat was taken off her head and she looked so utterly afraid, so small, as she walked to the Slytherin table. The shock of her Sorting lasted until McGonagall called for the next student. The minutes dragged on, name after name being called until his own was heard throughout the Hall. 

Ron strode up to the stool with a grim determination on his face. He glanced at Haley, sitting alone with the rest of Slytherin leering and grinning because  _ they got Potter. _ No one thought much of him as he sat on the stool; another Weasley, another Gryffindor.

But the Hat took a minute. It asked him if he was sure. If he wanted to do this. Ron said yes, he knew exactly what he was doing.

“SLYTHERIN!” It said with some reluctance. 

Again, the shock rippled through the Hall in murmurs and gasps. Ron left the stool but he could still feel the eyes of his family on him. But he met Haley’s eyes instead of theirs. He saw the relief, he sat by her and ignored the sneering faces of everyone around him.  _ Blood traitor, _ they whispered. 

They kept each other distracted from the other students, they noticed the lingering apprehension of the teachers when they glanced at them. No one had predicted this turn out. No one thought that a Weasley and a Potter would be Sorted into Slytherin.

But here they were.

And Ron suddenly felt like he was stepping away from the shadows his family cast over him. His brothers had been Prefect, Head Boy, Captain, pranksters. But not Slytherin. Never  _ Slytherin. _ Now he was forever free of having to be any of those things to be special. He had become unique on his own, in a way none of them had thought he would.

He was a Weasley. He was Slytherin. Ron had never put a second’s thought into what House he would be Sorted into. Everyone in his family was Gryffindor, why shouldn’t he follow along? Before, he had no reason to.

He said something and Haley laughed.

But now, Ron had someone, a friend, to watch over. He had a reason to set himself apart, to break the mold he was so ready to solidify in. 

_ I’m a Weasley, _ Ron said to himself.

He wondered if he would still be one when his parents got word that their youngest son had gone to the same House as You-Know-Who. It terrified him, made his hands shake, to think that their prejudice might sever him from them. 

Haley grabbed his hand and squeezed it, her so-green eyes finding his.

She had some of her color back but he could see how thin she was, how her glasses were flimsy, how she flinched when someone grabbed a piece of food too quickly from the table.

_ She’s a Potter, _ Ron thought. 

But what did that mean?

It meant that she was the last remaining heir to the Potter fortune. It meant that she only had an aunt and uncle that she refused to speak about. It meant that she was the Girl Who Lived. It meant that she was an orphan. 

She was Muggle raised and had untameable hair. She had a hypnotizing kindness that drew his eyes away from her scar and back to her. She was witty and full of surprises. 

_ We’re Slytherin. _


	2. "Should I go?" "No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect more chapters but they'll be infrequent

Ron’s family didn’t try and contact him for days.

In that time, Haley and he had been taken to the Slytherin common room and were given a lecture, courtesy of Professor Snape, the infamous potions master. He swore that the man glared at them the entire time. They went to their respective dorms and while Ron was hesitant to leave Haley, he knew that they had to go their separate ways. 

Draco Malfoy was relentless in his snide comments. Talking loudly to his friends about how terrible his family was. About how maybe Ron was defecting and finally seeing that purebloods were superior.

Ron told him to shut up.

A boy named Blaise paid the pair no mind as they hurled insults at each other. Another named Theodore rolled his eyes and played with his wand when Ron dodged a punch. Crabbe and Goyle were passed out in their beds, snoring up a storm, dead to the world as Ron tackled Draco.

Draco had insulted Haley. He had criticized his family for their less than luxurious life.

Ron knocked Draco out with a hard crack at his jaw.

Grabbing him by his arms, Ron hoisted Draco onto his bed and left him in what was hopefully a rather uncomfortable position. Ron sat on his own bed and eyed the other two warily. 

_ “We don’t care,”  _ Blaise said plainly, not glancing up. Theodore nodded with him and peered over to Draco with a sly smile.

_ “I can see why the Hat took its time.” _ He grinned.

The next morning Ron found himself awake long before any reasonable time. He supposed it was for the best, what with Draco and his fury soon to rise. Ron slid from his dorm and wandered down to the common room to find someone else already there.

She had a book open in her lap but Haley was staring out of a window, watching as the sun’s light broke the night’s darkness. Ron sat on the other side of the window, startling her from her trance.

Her surprise softened to an exhausted sort of happiness. “Morning, Ron.” Her eyes found the bruises on his face, the cut on his lip. “Are they giving you much trouble?” Haley said, absentmindedly rubbing her arms. Ron noticed that Haley’s own knuckles were bruised from a fight.

“Only Malfoy but Crabbe and Goyle will probably follow his lead soon.”

“Pansy and Millicent tried to throw all my things out the window,” Haley laughed quietly. “Luckily for me, the window doesn’t open.” She paused, her smile fading. “After they couldn’t get rid of my stuff, Millicent swung at me.”

They sat together, gazing at the horizon, in silence as their fates dawned on them.

“This isn’t going to be easy.” Ron murmured. 

“Not at all,” Haley agreed.

Haley told him about a spell she found that would protect his belongings from harm and he excused himself to do it before Malfoy got any ideas.

Walking down the halls together, they were stared at with curiosity.

_ “Look, see! Weasley’s wearing green.” _

_ “Wonder what their families think,” _

_ “Check out her scar.” _

_ “Evil dynamic duo, anyone?” _

They found solace in each other. Everything they did, they did by the other’s side because nobody wanted to come within three feet of them. Ron didn’t get a letter from his parents or a glance from his brothers. The teachers noticed how beaten four Slytherins were the next day but all they did was glare.

The library was safe. It was the first real day of school, who would be in the  _ library? _

A boy named Neville Longbottom, apparently.

He was the boy who lost his toad on the train. Hermione Granger, the girl who had helped him search, was nowhere to be seen. She might’ve been someone to find in the library, given how much I-Know-Everything attitude she exuded.

Neville was holding his toad carefully, a heavy tome open in front of him. Haley walked closer, despite Ron’s tugging and peered over his shoulder at the words.

“What’s aconite?” Haley whispered softly. 

Neville started, Trevor the toad, leaping from his hands when he moved his hands too quickly. Ron caught the toad mid-air, though he didn’t look particularly pleased to be holding him. Trevor squirmed and Ron’s face twisted with displeasure. 

“Sorry.” Haley and Ron said at once. Ron gently set Trevor back into Neville’s hands and they both gave small waves before turning to make a getaway.

“Aconite is used in potion-making.” They looked back to see Neville standing with Trevor in his hands. He winced when the librarian shushed him but his face brightened when they walked back to him.

“It’s non-sentient and mundane but the leaves are poisonous. They’re flowers, see.” He pointed at the picture on the page. “It’s most commonly used in the Wolfsbane potion and might go by monkswood or wolfsbane.”

Haley tilted her head. “Wouldn’t that get confusing?” Neville nodded, gaining assurance by the second.

“There are over two hundred and fifty species of Aconitum but those are the most common.” He said, running a finger over the words. “Monkswood, aconite, and wolfsbane are the most common.”

“That’s a lot of plants,” Ron said with a light chuckle. 

“And what do you mean by non-sentient? Are there  _ sentient _ plants?” Haley had heard of things like venus fly traps and jumping cactus but she wouldn’t really classify them as sentient.

“Of course there are,” Neville said in disbelief. “What plant books have you been reading?” 

“The Herbology book.”

“Oh, well, I guess there wouldn’t be much to learn about certain things from a first-year book.”

Ron lifted the left side of the book and peered underneath. “And what’re  _ you _ reading, exactly?”

“One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.” He said, fully turning over the cover for them all to see. “My gran thinks I should focus on other things but I quite like plants.”

“I’ve not seen many but if they’re magical, I bet they’re interesting.” Haley ran a finger down the edge of the pages, wondering how much more about magic she had to learn.

\---

A lot. So much. All the synonyms for more than you could imagine. When they weren’t dodging other students or staying far away from the Slytherin common room they were hanging around Neville, the only person they considered a friend at the moment, they were consuming knowledge from every book they could get their hands on. And when they became tired of books they would happily put down their books and play games.

Haley had a blast teaching them a few Muggle games she’d seen other kids play. Ron and Neville introduced her to the many wizarding games they knew. 

In their first Potions class, Haley got one of Professor Snape’s questions right. Aconite, Monkswood, Wolfsbane. He had asked her questions that she shouldn’t have been able to answer, the git. 

Ron’s family still hadn’t said a word to him.

He supposed he shouldn’t have been disappointed by it. Ron knew their views on Slytherin. On him now. Haley still hugged him when he cried quietly about it. She told him that she knew what it felt like, to be hurt by your family. She whispered to Ron that she’d be there for him. They held each other in the darkness of the Slytherin common room and when morning came, they wiped their eyes and stood together.

Neville was a shy kid, nervous about doing the smallest things but he came alive when he spoke about plants. 

When Neville wasn’t with them, Ron was demolishing her in wizard chess or they were messing around with each other. The latter usually involved roaming the grounds until they stopped by a tree and rested in the shade.

Hagrid waved them into his hut one day, a remorseful smile nearly hidden by his beard. 

“I thought you didn’t like Slytherins,” Haley said as he served them tea.

Hagrid winced, shaking his head. “No.” He paused. “Well, I still think the lot of ‘em are rotten eggs but I know yer a good kid, Haley.”

Haley beamed and gestured to Ron, who was staring at his lap. “This is Ron Weasley, he’s my best friend.” Ron’s head snapped up and Hagrid smiled at him.

“Nice teh meet yeh, Ron.” 

“Likewise.” He said after a moment of wide-eyed skepticism.

The conversation was stilted at the beginning but it took off after Ron mentioned their common room.

“Oh, Hagrid, it’s so cold in there!” Haley laughed. “I don’t know why they keep it so freezing down there.”

“Don’t forget the dampness.” Ron shivered. “They have the most outrageous furniture in the world but they won’t change the temperature.”

“And yer dorm mates? They treating yeh alrigh’?” 

Haley and Ron shared a glance. 

“Most of mine don’t bother me,” Ron said, then laughed. “It’s just Malfoy who’s got a problem with me.” He wasn’t sure if Crabbe or Goyle even knew why they had to be rude to Ron in the first place.

“No one in my dorm likes me much. Tracy and Daphne are okay but Millicent and Pansy are rather hostile.” Haley’s knuckles ached with phantom pains in remembrance of her first night. Millicent Bulstrode was all brawn, terrible with insults but Pansy Parkinson could twist words like no one else. Tracy Davis and Daphne Greengrass were uninvolved and uninterested.

They were heading back to the castle when a few redheads came their way. Ron saw them and went stiff, stopping where he stood. Haley squinted at them and quickly figured out that they were his brothers.

“Should I leave?” Haley said. 

“N-No,” Ron said immediately. “Please, stay.”

“I’m here.”

His three brothers stopped a few feet away from them. Percy, Fred, and George, those were their names. The twins had helped her on the train. 

“Hello, Ron,” Percy said. When Ron didn’t respond he fixed his gaze on Haley. “Could you leave? This is a family matter.”

Haley turned to Ron who shook his head. She looked up at Percy and stood her ground, staying silent with Ron.

“We’re sorry,” George started.

“We should’ve talked to you as soon as possible,” Fred added.

“It’s just that you being in Slytherin is . . .”

“Is what?” Ron burst out. “Disappointing? Upsetting? Does it make me untrustworthy? Is that why you haven’t spoken to me in days?” His voice broke and Haley glared at his brothers, urging them to say something.

“Ron -”

“What’d Mum say? Ginny and Dad? Bill and Charlie? Have any of them made up their minds about me?”

“Please, understand that we love you but -” Ron’s face paled at the statement, it sounded terribly like a prelude to exactly what he feared. George hit Percy in the arm, cutting him off.

“There’s no ‘but’, Percy.” George scowled. “Yeah, they’re surprised, we all are, but you’re still a Weasley.”

“So don’t go thinking you’ve gotten rid of us,” Fred said.

“Really?” Ron’s voice was soft, vulnerable. “You mean it?”

Percy pulled his brother into a fierce embrace, the other two joining them in a second. “We love you.” was all Percy said.

Haley took a step back, feeling like she’d intruded on a private moment. Family matter, Percy had said. He had been right but who knows how that could have gone? She hadn’t been about to throw her best mate to the prejudiced wolves. She inched back, unsure if she should leave. Ron had asked her to stay but he didn’t need her as a buffer or defense against his brothers.

Haley glanced at the castle. Would Ron be angry with her if she left? Gloomy? Or was it awkward for her to have even stayed this long? She doubted they even remembered she was there but they stood out, tightly wound against each other and so familial. Haley squashed the jealousy that crept up inside her at the sight. The Dursleys might not love her but taking her anger out on them would only serve to lose Haley one of her only friends.

“Must be awkward, just standing there, huh, Potter?” 

Haley jumped back a good distance, her attention snapping back to the brothers, all of whom were looking at her. 

“Oh, look what you’ve done now!” Fred threw up one of his hands in her direction. “You’ve made her go even farther away!”

“Not my fault she’s so jumpy!” George argued.

Haley looked back at the castle. “Do you want me to go?” She said, catching Ron’s eye. He shook his head excitedly and beckoned her over to them.

“This is Haley, she’s my best mate.” He said proudly, putting an arm over her thin shoulders.

“Good to see you.” The twins chorused.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Percy smiled.

“Hullo.”

“So Slytherin? What’s it like?” Percy said, leading them all back into the castle.

“We’ve broken the mold--” 

“--But not so thoroughly as you two.”

“Really?” Haley thought back to the platform, then the train where she first met them. “How’ve you done that?”

“How’ve you done that!” George scoffed.

“Surely our dear brother’s told you many tales of our greatness!”

“Not really, no.” 

Ron laughed when his brothers examined him critically. 

“You think he’s gone mad?” said George.

“How could he be much else if -”

“I never mentioned any of you,” Ron said sourly. “I didn’t want to think about you.” The group quieted. They had wasted precious time, these brothers of his, thinking about whether or not to act as a brother should. Haley was sure that they knew, the hug the four of them had shared spoke volumes of their bond.

“Sometimes I wonder why the stairs move,” Haley said without prompting. “You know, ‘cause at first I thought ‘how stupid is this?’ but then I realized how tricky things would get for intruders if we were ever attacked, meanwhile, the students would be used to the labyrinth of staircases. 

“Also,” Haley looked to the Weasleys with exasperation in her eyes. “Why do we have to use quills and parchment? Like, I get that you guys have an aesthetic going but  _ jeez _ is it useless.”

“I can see why you like her,” Fred whispered to Ron when Haley wandered ahead of them. 

“Interesting, that one.”

\---

“You’re mental.” Ron laughed at Neville and grinned as he moved his queen beside Neville’s rook. Neville took his queen, not seeing the play he’d just set in motion. Five moves later Ron won with a whoop of joy as Neville just stared at the board in disbelief.

“Right, now that you two are done,” Haley said from behind her book. “We have a flying lesson to attend.”

Neville’s nervous energy came back on full force as they arrived with a gaggle of Gryffindor students. They gazed upon them oddly, two snakes consoling a lion.

Haley regretted reminding them about the lesson when Madam Hooch led him away with a broken wrist. Malfoy laughed and tossed Neville’s Remembrall in his hand.

“Give it here, Malfoy.” Haley held out her hand and the students parted for her. They watched eagerly as he flew into the air, the clear ball in his hand. Hermione Granger warned her against leaving the ground.

“You heard Madam Hooch!” She said. “She’ll expel you!”

Haley took off, following Malfoy to the skies. He threw the ball as hard as he could and Haley shot after it. She pushed aside the euphoria of flight, ignored the shouts, turned screams of her classmates, focusing only on the ball. It was clear except for the small golden ring, her only indicator of the object’s location. Sticking out her hand, Haley snatched the ball out of the air.

Her tunnel vision receded and she became aware of the grass she was about to be acquainted with. Lurching to the side and up, Haley felt the grass graze her cheek. Dizzy beyond belief, she dismounted from the broom and tucked the ball into her robes. Neville would be wanting it back when Madam Pomfrey healed him up.

The cheering that had just become clear instead of a garbled mess fell away in an instant as a dark figure strode out to them. Snape, Haley realized when he dragged her away by the elbow.

\---

Ron watched in horror as Haley was grabbed by Snape. They were out of sight in no time, leaving the rest of the class alone on the training grounds.

“Uh oh,” Pansy Parkinson laughed. “Poor Potter’s going to be expelled!” A few of the Slytherins cheered with her, Malfoy throwing down his broom with a smirk. Ron balled his fists but walked off the field, ignoring the jeers that followed him. Madam Hooch might reprimand him for leaving but what did it matter?

Hours later, Haley sat down in front of him at dinner. She had an expression of bewilderment on her face as she put her head in her hands.

“Haley?” Ron started. “What’s going on? Have you been -”

“No,” Haley assured him. “Not expelled.”

Ron’s anxiety deflated somewhat but was kept alive at the perplexed expression on her face. “Is there something else? Did Snape say something?”

“I’m the new Seeker.” She blurted faintly. “Snape’s made me the Slytherin Seeker.”

“Has he really?” Haley nodded. “I can see why but I didn’t think he could bend the rules like that.”

“You can see why?”

“If that was your first time on a broom and you caught Neville’s Remembrall, I’d hate to see the poor fool that goes against you once you’re trained.”

Haley jolted, remembering something. “Neville.” She pulled the clear ball from her robes. “Do you know where he is? I should give this back.”

“I think he’s over at the Gryffindor table,” Ron threw a glance back across the Hall and, yup, Neville was eating with the Gryffindors.

“We’ll catch him when he leaves,” Haley said.

“Hey, Potter, have you been expelled yet?” Malfoy taunted.

“Hey, Malfoy, have you learned any manners yet?” Haley shot back in a bored tone. Ron snickered and ate a piece of bread. 

\---

Ron snorted and clutched Haley’s hand tighter in the quiet darkness of their common room. Haley attempted to shush him through her own terribly muffled giggling. He leaned his head on her shoulder and tried to contain himself. His body trembled as they made eye contact. Haley’s grip on his hand tightened. They hadn’t even spoken for a solid three minutes and yet tears ran down their faces. They had been telling stories about their families and Haley had mentioned a few things Dudley had done. Or rather couldn’t do. It snowballed from there. From her cousin’s ‘all brawn, no brain’ to Fred and George’s antics at their home, the Burrow. 

“Rather educating,” Haley managed to wheeze. Fred and George. They had ideas, those two. Good thing they hadn’t turned out to be arseholes, or else she might have been rather upset.

Ron scooted closer to Haley under their blankets and they continued their half-breathless whispering. The common room was still frigid and Haley hadn’t had the foresight to think she might need to stay warm so Ron, the amazing genius, had brought down his blanket from his bed, as intelligent people do, and they wrapped themselves together. The warmth had Haley relaxing into Ron as they snuggled. 

Ron let his head rest on Haley’s shoulder as his eyelids got heavier. This was comfortable. He smiled into the dimly lit room, glad to have Haley.

Haley kept holding Ron’s hand long after he fell asleep. She stared at the unlit fireplace with a goofy grin across her face. It felt safe here, with him. 

By the time the sun drifted into the sky, the two were fast asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> If anybody wants more, I'd be happy to provide


End file.
